


Something's Begun

by Fire_Bear



Series: Stage Right [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: (I'm not sure how to tag that), (I'm sure I remember the characters in the musical kissing anyway), Alternate Universe - Actors, Costumes, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, First Kiss, Kissing as an Act, M/M, Musical References, Musicals, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-14
Updated: 2018-03-14
Packaged: 2019-03-31 12:32:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13975215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fire_Bear/pseuds/Fire_Bear
Summary: Lance is determined to get the role of Danny in the theatre group's production of Grease. His only real rival, he figures, is the professional actor, Keith Kogane, who's only there on the recommendation of one of the group's founders.All he has to do is act and sing his heart out at the auditions.





	Something's Begun

**Author's Note:**

> I finished writing this first chapter and suddenly realised I have no idea what I'm going to do for the chapters between now and, like, the end.
> 
> Why do I do this?
> 
> There will obviously be a lot of Grease references. I think I've only seen the film and not the actual stage show, so... Bear with me.
> 
> Also, I've mentioned things from the previous stories so it may be for the best you read them first?

_"Guess mine is not the first heart broken_  
_My eyes are not the first to cry_  
_I'm not the first to know there's_  
_Just no getting over you."_

"Lance, _shut up_!" Pidge shouted from the living room.

Grinning, Lance continued down the hall, making sweeping motions with his arms. Once he reached the door to the room, he fought away his amusement and assumed a heartbroken expression. Throwing open the door, he continued the song, stepping daintily across the floor.

" _You know I'm just a fool_ -"

"You don't need to remind me," Pidge grumbled from her place on the couch.

"- _who's willing  
_ _To sit around and wait for you_."

At that moment, Hunk entered the living room, looking between them. "Again?" he said, sounding both exasperated and fond.

Before Hunk could reach the kitchenette part of the room, Lance leapt forward and grabbed his wrist, drawing Hunk towards the couch. " _But, baby, can't you see, there's nothing else for me to do_." He stopped and shook Hunk's arm. His best friend sighed but, with a small smile, joined in for the next line. " _I'm hopelessly devoted to you_."

"Please, God, stop," Pidge groaned.

"Should you even be singing so much?" Hunk asked. "Especially since you're singing _that_. What if you lose your voice before you get the chance to audition?"

Touched at the concern, Lance smiled at him. "Thanks, dude. But I'm not singing it as high as Olivia Newton-John. Don't worry."

"Shouldn't you be singing the songs you'll _actually_ be singing?" Pidge asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Sure, if you want to stifle my talent," Lance replied, pressing a hand to his chest.

"Uh huh."

"Wait," said Hunk, suddenly. He was standing in front of their family planner, frowning at it. "Today's... Isn't your audition today?"

"Yup." Lance pushed off from the couch and moved over to the door. "I'm just on my way out – I wanna see if I can get some practise in at the theatre."

“Right now?” said Pidge, seeming interested all of a sudden.

“Yes…?” Lance drew out the word, cautious.

“Hang on.” By this point, she was kneeling on the couch, gripping the back of it as she leaned towards him. “I haven't had the chance to remind you of your bet.”

Lance scowled, his good mood evaporating. “I’m not gonna lose to some wannabe Zac Efron with a mullet. _I_ actually have talent. _And_ I’ve got the whole musical memorised, forwards _and_ backwards.”

“In what reality are you gonna need to know the thing _backwards_?”

“Uh, in a _backwards_ reality, duh!”

“You....” said Pidge, “are an idiot.”

Ignoring her, Lance added, “Anyways, the _point is_ , I’m gonna get the Danny role and _Keith Kogane_ is gonna be coming to a rehearsal dressed as Mothman, like a dork.”

Yes, Lance had not forgotten his wager with the professional actor. If he got the role of Danny, there would be one rehearsal where Keith would come dressed as Mothman. He could even use the costume he used in that horrible B-movie series he'd been in. If Lance didn't get it, however… Well, let's just say that he would overheat if he had to go through with his end of the deal. It was probably stupid, as Pidge kept informing him, but it had motivated him to watch Grease over and over, tweaking his acting and learning the songs by heart.

“I look forward to seeing you dressed as Bigfoot,” Pidge piped up.

Sending her a glare, Lance spun on his heel and headed for the door. “I’ll let you know when I get the part,” he told his friends.

" _If_ you get the part!" Pidge called after him.

Hunk, however, followed him to their front door. "Good luck, Lance," he said, earnestly. "Be careful getting there – it would be bad if you actually broke a leg. And you shouldn't sing any high-pitched songs when you get there in case you lose your voice before the actual auditions-"

"Woah, Hunk, chill," Lance interrupted him, stuffing his feet into his sneakers. "I'm gonna be fine. I'm gonna be awesome."

"I know you will, buddy," said Hunk, smiling now. He pulled Lance into a hug. "Go knock 'em dead. But, like, not actually – especially if Keith Kogane gets the role instead of you, okay?"

"Geez, Hunk," said Lance with a sigh. "What do you take me for?"

Shrugging a shoulder, Hunk released him. "Competitive," Hunk answered him.

Rolling his eyes, Lance opened the front door. He paused as he turned slightly so he could shut it. "I'll be fine, Hunk. Don't worry. And thanks. I'll see you guys later." He raised his voice so it projected through their flat. "Bye, Pidge!"

"Good luck, stupid!" Pidge called back.

Laughing, Lance waved at Hunk and closed the door. He hurried off, a bounce in his step, almost skipping. Today was the day he would prove to everyone that he could get a leading role. This time, he wouldn't be an understudy or a minor character or a side character. He was going to grab hold of the Danny role and hold onto it with all he had. Nothing would stop him.

* * *

Thankfully, the theatre was open when he got there, far too early, though nobody seemed to be around. Lance figured they were getting ready for the auditions, deciding who would go on when. As far as Lance knew, they would be auditioning for Danny _and_ Sandy at the same time so they could search for people who had good chemistry. However, he had seen the list of those who wanted to play Sandy and there wasn't as many as there were vying for the role of Danny.

Keith's name had been at the top of the list, written in Shiro's handwriting.

Since no-one was in the lobby to stop him, Lance went into the auditorium. Again, nobody was around and, grinning, Lance jogged down the aisle, threw his bag at a random seat, and leapt up the steps to the stage. Once there, he twirled around, arms spread wide, grinning at a nonexistent audience. To warm up, Lance began to recite the speeches from Romeo and Juliet. Romeo's speeches, letting himself fall into the character and experience the love and heartbreak that Romeo did. Then he began to recite some of the lines he remembered from Grease, the ones which didn't need a reply.

Finally, since there still wasn't anyone around, he began to sing the songs in chronological order. He even sang the Pink Ladies' songs. Lance had fun with it, though he made sure to act and sing as the characters. Danny's bragging, Sandy's love, the Pink Ladies' disdain. Then he got to his favourite song and took a moment to collect himself before he began, turning away from his 'audience' to walk up and down, letting himself _become_ the character.

Despite the fact that Lance wanted to play the role of Danny, his favourite song was Hopelessly Devoted. He thought it was terribly romantic while also being rather heartbreaking. Every time Lance watched Grease, he wanted to scoop Sandy up in his arms, give her a hug and tell her not to worry. Everything would work out just fine. Danny would mature, would come to her, their love requited.

God, he wished he could find that.

Forgetting his own dismal love life, Lance opened his mouth and began to sing. As he did so, he wandered the stage, reaching for a nonexistent love before drawing back behind a shield. Each step he took was an effort to keep upright as he fought to keep from sinking to his knees in despair. His face was stuck in an expression of anguish, raising his voice to the rafters as he sang his heart out.

" _But now there's nowhere to hide, since you pushed my love aside_ ," Lance sang, wrapping his arms around himself. Then he clutched at his head for the next line. " _I'm outta my head, hopelessly devoted to you_ ." Lance almost sighed, dropping his arms. " _Hopelessly devoted to you... Hopelessly devoted to you_!"

Lance bent his knees slightly as he bent forward, cradling his head in his hands. " _My head is saying, fool, forget him_." He straightened and clutched at his heart. " _My heart is saying, don't let go_." Turning to the empty seats, he reached out towards them, towards Danny. " _Hold on to the end, that's_ -"

Catching sight of a figure at the back of the stalls, slowly walking closer, Lance cut himself off, almost overbalancing from the force he'd used to throw his arm out. He took a step back and watched as the person got closer. His cheeks were heating up at being caught singing on the stage; he was probably supposed to wait in the lobby. When the person got close enough, Lance realised that it was Allura. He let out a sigh of relief: if it had been the director, he probably would have lectured him.

"Hey, princess," he said, grinning at her. "Sorry about this – I was just super excited for the auditions."

Allura waved a hand to dismiss the apology. "Don't worry about that. I enjoyed seeing your performance."

"Ah," said Lance, definitely blushing now. He rubbed the back of his neck and moved to the edge of the stage. "Thanks. I've been trying to make sure I'm prepared for today. I know the whole film off by heart, more or less."

"I'm surprised you chose to sing that instead of, say, Grease Lightning. Or Summer Nights."

"Hopelessly Devoted is my favourite," Lance admitted. "The others are fun but... I'd rather sing that one. When I’m alone, I mean."

"Really..." said Allura, eyeing him. It didn't sound like a question.

There was a short silence. Lance broke it. "So, anyways, where d'ya want me? In the dressing rooms? Or in the lobby?"

"Come sit down," Allura said, gesturing at a row. "We're going to audition everyone in front of an 'audience', of sorts."

Lance pursed his lips as he turned from her, making his way to the stairs. The idea of auditioning in front of the other hopefuls made nerves flutter within him. But he forced them down and told himself that he could do it. After all, Allura seemed to have been impressed by what she had seen of Hopelessly Devoted so, hopefully, he'd blow everyone away when he did Danny's songs instead.

* * *

Despite knowing that it probably wouldn't happen, Lance was still disappointed that Keith actually turned up. He slouched in his seat as he spotted him sidling in. After shooting him a glare, Lance returned his attention to Shiro and Allura who were on stage, explaining how the auditions would work.

"You will each work with a different partner," Allura was saying, "and act out the scenes twice. This will give us an idea of who has good chemistry together, who can adapt to other actors, things like that. As you can see, though, we don't have an even ratio of young men and women..."

"So, once all the girls have performed twice, some of the guys'll switch between roles for each other," Shiro said. "You'll all get a chance to act as Danny twice and, though there will be people acting the scene a third time, they won't be considered based on that."

Straightening up, Lance leaned forward, frowning a little. "Shouldn't the girls just get extra chances without being taken into consideration, then?" he asked, making sure his voice carried over the chattering of the others around him. "I mean, wouldn't that make more sense."

Allura turned to him – and grinned. That was not a good thing, Lance realised. It was the same grin that he'd gotten when they'd decided to set Romeo and Juliet in space. "Nope," Allura said. "This is a test, of sorts. We'll explain later, if we decide to... Well, we'll explain later. So, when we call your names, come on up."

As a couple of the newer theatre group members got out of their seats, Lance returned his attention to Keith who was sitting a few rows ahead of him and off to the side. It was annoying to see him in the place Lance called his second – no, wait – third home. And if he had to act in front of him, knowing he would be judging him, noticing all his little mistakes... Would he be able to?

Maybe Lance could psych him out... With that in mind, Lance lugged his bag over his shoulder and climbed over the row of seats in front, trying not to make too much noise. It involved a lot of hauling himself onto the back of a chair and then rolling over, gripping the back of another chair to stop himself from falling off completely before he managed to get his feet under him. Then he repeated the actions until, by the time the two on stage were getting ready for a song, he was behind Keith's seat. He briefly considered climbing over again before deciding against it: his climbing skills weren't the best and he'd probably look like an idiot.

So, instead of humiliating himself, he quietly sat himself down in the seat diagonally behind Keith. Once his bag was on the floor and out of the way, he leaned forward so he could speak into Keith's ear (if it was still there under all that hair). "Ready to lose to me, Jakey boy?"

He was delighted to see Keith jump at his voice. The guy turned his head to glare at him from the corner of his eye. "My name's Keith," he said.

Lance sighed. "I _know_ that," he replied. "I was- Never mind. The point is that I'm gonna be getting the part."

"I doubt that," Keith said, curtly. "Shiro wouldn't have suggested this to me if he didn't think I would get it."

"Then what's the point of the auditions?" Lance demanded. "Obviously, you're not a sure thing if they're going ahead."

"You can think what you like," Keith commented, "but I'm not going to lose to _you_."

Eyes narrowing, Lance leaned forward more. "And what exactly does that mean? I'll have you know I'm an awesome actor! I mean, I managed to play Mercutio _and_ Romeo during our run of Romeo and-"

"You two!" came a shout from across the room. Both of them jolted away from each other and turned to look at Allura in surprise. She looked irritated, frowning at the both of them, arms folded. "If you're going to talk, keep it down. But you could at least give your fellow actors and actresses some respect and pay attention."

Lance grimaced and shrunk away from Keith who slouched down in his seat. "Sorry," Lance mumbled, gaze flicking around the room at everyone. They were all staring at them, those on the stage in anger, everyone else in mild amusement. He bit his lip and turned his attention to the stage, trying to ignore Keith for the moment.

After all, he could gloat later, once he'd actually gotten the lead role.

* * *

The auditions went by without any other disturbances. However, when Lance went up to act against Liv, he felt more nervous than he ever had before. Or maybe it was anxiety. Whatever it was, he knew it was because Keith was there, watching him. Still, he managed to act and sing as brilliantly as normal before heading back to his seat with a smirk at Keith.

When Keith went up, though, to act against Tilde, Lance's smirk was wiped off his face. Keith was good. He had known that from watching _Jilly & Co. _ and the Mothman films. The dude was able to go from serious and scowling to happy and laughing. In this case, he became the drawling, hot, bad boy Danny, effortlessly. Lance had to grit his teeth to keep his jaw dropping. Tilde, who was normally so good at acting, got terribly flustered when she had to say her lines and forgot the words to the songs. Thankfully, Shiro and Allura cut their time short when they noticed how frustrated and upset Tilde was becoming.

Unfortunately, it meant that Keith, as he turned to go back to his seat, noticed Lance's stunned expression. Now Keith was smirking and Lance still had to go up a second time.

And, apparently, a third time.

Allura called him over to her. "I heard you doing Hopelessly Devoted earlier so I know you know Sandy's songs. Could you be Sandy this time?"

Delighted that Allura thought he was a good enough actor to do something like that, Lance grinned. "Sure thing!" he exclaimed. "I'll be the best damn Sandy there ever was."

Allura's smile widened. "I certainly hope so."

Despite the trepidation he suddenly felt from seeing her expression, Lance made his way up to the stage. As he did, he caught Keith’s eye. Keith was frowning, looking rather unhappy. Lance smirked at him: Keith probably didn’t think he could do something like this and Lance was going to show him how wrong he was. Once he was on the stage, he did a twirl and stopped, waiting to find out who would be coming up to audition against him.

Shiro was the one to announce it. He tapped his pen against a list, seemingly musing. He glanced at Allura, shook his head and turned to speak to the people watching, waiting. “Keith,” he said, and Lance’s stomach sank. “You may as well go next.”

“Wait, what?” said Lance, urgently. “Not _him_.”

“Yeah,” said Keith. “I don’t think he’ll do well enough against me.”

“What was that?!” Lance demanded, ignoring the concerned look on Shiro’s face. Beside him, Allura looked amused while Coran looked interested. Lance shoved that from his mind as he glowered at Keith. “You saying I can’t act?”

“I’m saying that you can’t be Sandy.” He paused for a moment as Lance silently fumed. Then he smirked and added, “You can barely be Danny.”

“Oh, yeah?” Lance snapped. “Well, why don’t I prove you _wrong_?”

“Fine,” said Keith, getting to his feet.

“Fine!” Lance echoed, hands curled into fists.

“Whenever you’re ready,” said Allura suddenly, and Lance remembered where they were and who was watching. He tried not to turn red, his heart hammering from a combination of things.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Keith coming up the steps. Anger coursed through him before he shoved it aside. He couldn’t let that show, not while they were acting these scenes out. So he took several deep breaths, trying to get into the headspace of Sandy. _I am Sandy. I am Australian. And I am utterly in love with Danny who’s just got on stage. But… he’s not the same and it hurts but I still love him and-_ Lance had to take another, shaky, deep breath to relax himself, swallowing several times.

Opening his eyes, he turned to face Keith. Lance could see it then, could see Keith in a leather jacket, drawling about how he didn’t want anything to do with Sandy. The actor was already wearing a self-assured smirk, something Lance associated with Danny. His heart sank even as he convinced himself that his heart was working into overdrive: Keith honestly suited the role of Danny and, despite his slight hesitance and soft singing that he’d heard before, Lance was convinced that Keith would get it. Before they even got started, it was clear that Keith would be the one.

Biting back a sigh, Lance started off, making sure to use a faint Australian accent. He didn’t want to go overboard. Besides, it was hard enough making his voice go soft and even harder to make himself go starry-eyed at the sight of Keith. In fact, Lance took it as a point of pride that he spotted Keith’s eyes going wide for a moment.

Then again, that could be just how he interpreted Danny for that scene.

For the next few minutes, they exchanged lines, laughing and giggling and staring at each other with fake love. The longer it went on, the more determined Lance was to make his acting the best Sandy of the day. Especially if he was going to be relegated to being Fonzie or something at the end of all this. They sang Summer Nights, together but apart, thankfully allowed to look away from each other.

Finally, they finished, and Lance sighed in relief. He wanted to get his next shot at the audition over with so he could go home and wail about the injustice of it all to Pidge and Hunk. Lance wasn’t sure why he’d bothered. Before the previous play, he’d finally watched _Jilly and Co._ and he knew that Keith was an excellent actor. There was no way he could have beaten a professional actor at their own game.

“Wait,” said Allura, sounding excited. Lance, who had been taking a step towards the stairs, paused in mid-step, blinking down at her. “Please, Lance,” she said, eyes shining. “Sing Hopelessly Devoted.”

“Wha-? Here? _Now_?” Lance said, bewildered.

“Allura says you sing it beautifully,” Shiro added. “I’d like to hear it, too.”

Unsure where this was going, Lance shrugged. He glanced at Keith who was still onstage, eyes wide. Lance frowned at him and, in true Sandy style, turned his back on him. Again, he took several deep breaths, remembering what had happened up to that point in the story, remembering Sandy’s love and heartbreak and making them his own.

He began to sing, using the exact same movements as before because, hey, why not?

_“But now there’s no way to hide_  
_Since you pushed my love aside_  
_I’m outta my head; hopelessly devoted to you.  
Hopelessly devoted to you.”_

For the last line, Lance turned again, finding himself staring straight at Keith. The actor looked shocked, mouth open in a small ‘o’. Envisioning him as Danny, Lance gave him a smitten, shy smile before he sang the last part, a little softer than before. _“Hopelessly devoted to you…”_

Keith blushed. Lance saw it from where he stood across the stage, the red contrasting against his pale skin. It made Lance’s heart speed up, pounding away in his chest. He was almost surprised no-one could hear it. What was happening?

Applause suddenly erupted from the audience. The girls were wolf-whistling. A few of the guys were stamping their feet. Allura, Shiro, Coran and Gideon the director were huddled together, chattering away in excitement. Lance was at a loss as to what was happening, staring out at them all, befuddled.

“Um?” he said, wondering if he should get off the stage now.

When he turned to try to make his escape, he found that Keith had sidled closer. He wasn’t looking at Lance but Lance raised an eyebrow, anyway. “That was…” Keith began. “Um…”

“Lance!” Allura exclaimed. “That was beautiful!”

“Amazing, really!” Coran added, cheerfully. “You’ve really taken those lessons to heart, haven’t you?”

The theatre co-owner was referring to the acting lessons he and the other experienced members of the theatre group provided. And they _had_ been a big help. While both Keith and Shiro seemed to be naturals, Lance had had to work at it. He’d been good before, but not enough to capture people’s attention – except for any roles with comedic slapstick. Now, though, he knew how to make himself seem like a real person, no matter the drama or circumstance. His list of roles were steadily growing and he was getting bigger and bigger ones.

Too bad about this Danny thing.

Forcibly forgetting about that and Keith and the fact Keith was only a few feet away from him, Lance grinned at Coran. “Thanks!” he said to them both.

Gideon stood. The director was a little excitable at all times, with his greying hair sticking up in odd places and mismatched clothing, but he always wore a serious expression when he was auditioning people to be in his plays and musicals. Now, though, he was grinning, arms spread wide. “This is an excellent idea, Allura! Brilliant! Fantastic! Wonderful! The chemistry between them seemed almost effortless! Of course, practise will make it perfect…” He trailed off and sat back down, mumbling to himself and scribbling away on his notebook.

“‘Practise’?” Lance repeated. “Practise what?”

This time, Shiro answered him. “Well… You know we like to… twist the classics. Or do something a little different…”

Lance did not like where this was going. He looked over at Keith to find the actor grimacing, his head turned away from Lance. It didn’t bode well but Lance turned back to Shiro in order to find out the answer. “What… exactly… are you talking about?”

“You’ll make an outstanding Sandy, Lance,” said Allura. “Especially with Keith as your Danny.”

Everything inside Lance seemed to sink as he realised the mortifying implications. “Wha-? He- He’s not _my_ ‘anything’!” he cried, aware that his blood was rising back up to his cheeks. “Like, except my-my _rival_. For the Danny part!”

That only seemed to make Shiro amused. “You’re right, of course,” he said. Lance waved a hand at him as if that was all the proof he needed, but Shiro continued speaking before Lance could make a retort. “You’re the only one who held a torch to Keith. No-one else has really been trying because ‘Keith is a professional actor, so why bother’. Right?” He cast a look in the other auditionees. They all looked away, grumbling to each other and shrugging. It looked like he was right: Lance had been wondering why their performances hadn’t been their best. “But, between the two of you, we think Keith might be the best one to be Danny.”

“I haven’t had my second try!” Lance cried, desperately. “Let me do it again and I’ll-”

“I really think you’d be a great Sandy, Lance,” Allura insisted. “It would still mean you’d have a big role. In fact, Sandy has more scenes than Danny, doesn’t she?”

“‘She’?! Allura, I-”

“It would be a much more challenging character to play than Danny, don’t you think?” Allura added, smiling sweetly.

Lance paused. It _would_ be more difficult. There were a variety of emotions to portray and different situations that she finds herself in. And the bit at the end… He probably would have to wear dresses, though. Or would they change it completely and have all guys, like a complementing gang to Danny’s or something, instead of the Pink Ladies. Was all of that going to be worth it? Should he do it?

“It might interest you to know,” Shiro added, when it was clear Lance was thinking about it, “that there will be some producers and casting directors at the opening show.”

Since his dream was to make it big someday, Lance caved. “I… um… okay?” he said, quieter than he normally was onstage. Usually, his words carried; this time, he wasn’t sure anyone but Keith heard him. But Allura certainly saw the way his shoulders slumped, the blush on his cheeks and the way he looked away from them. She grinned and stood, clapping her hands together once.

“Looks like that’s settled, then!” she declared, her voice piercing every corner of the auditorium. “Keith will be Danny, Lance will be Sandy, and we’ll post the rest of the cast on the noticeboard.”

“And online,” Coran reminded her.

“And online,” she repeated, nodding. “But that concludes the auditions.”

Noise erupted from the other hopefuls, chattering away. Lance cast his eyes over them and noticed that none of them seemed very upset about the way things had gone. The girls were huddled together, giggling at something. Elsewhere, the guys were chattering about who wanted what role. None of them touched on Danny.

Forcing himself to move, Lance turned to go grab his bag. He needed some time for this to sink in completely. However, when he turned, Keith was there, looking him up and down. Lance sent him a glare. Keith didn't seem to react until Lance shifted his weight, preparing to step around him. Then, slowly, he smirked.

“Well, I told you I’d get it,” he said, sounding smug.

“Yeah, so?” snapped Lance, folding his arms tight against his chest.

“I can’t wait to see Bigfoot singing Summer Nights,” Keith commented. And, without another word, he turned and stalked off, leaving Lance to internally scream at the universe for doing this to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not entirely sure whether I should have Lance be in a dress or if they should change the script ever so slightly so that Sandy's a guy and Danny's gay and the Pink Ladies decide to take Sandy under their wing, anyways...


End file.
